Birds got smart by becoming big babes

Although a sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might appear to have nothing in common, evolutionary biologists see more that relates the two creatures than not. A new study, led by Harvard scientists, has shown that modern birds are essentially living dinosaurs with skulls that are remarkably similar to those of their juvenile ancestors. Arkhat Abzhanov, Associate Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, a PhD student in Abzhanov laboratory and the first author of a paper published this week in Nature, found evidence that the evolution of birds is the result of a drastic change in how dinosaurs developed. Sexual maturity in many dinosaurs took many years to reach. Birds, however, sped up the clock, with some species taking as little as 12 weeks to mature, which allows them to retain the physical characteristics of baby dinosaurs. "What is interesting about this research is the way it illustrates evolution as a developmental phenomenon," Abzhanov said. "By changing the developm

Researchers have found evidence that the evolution of birds is the result of a drastic change in how dinosaurs developed. Scientists have long understood that modern birds descended from dinosaurs. ...